YES2 separates from Foton spacecraft

PARIS, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency said the second Young Engineers Satellite, YES2, separated from its Foton-M3 spacecraft Tuesday.

The YES2's tether then deployed for 8.5 kilometers, after which the Fotino capsule was released to return to Earth.

"We are very proud of the students' work, although we didn't reach the full 30-kilmoter (18.6-mile) deployment," said Roger Walker, YES2 project manager for ESA's Education Office.

The project was designed by nearly 500 students from the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States to demonstrate how a tether can deliver small payloads to Earth without the use of complex control systems or rocket engines.

The Fotino capsule was to be deployed at the end of a 30-kilometer-long tether in space. But the tether deployed at a slower pace than planned, reaching a length of 8.5 kilometers (5.2 miles) before a preprogrammed command cut the Fotino capsule loose from the spacecraft.

The capsule's orbit was being assessed to determine when and where it will return to Earth on its parachute.

The Foton spacecraft and the piggybacking YES2 payload were launched Sept. 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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